States such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, which account for the bulk of India’s migrant workers, have witnessed a spike in virus cases in the past three weeks after millions of them returned from metropolitan cities.
Madhya Pradesh reported 194 new cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of infections in the state to 6,859 on Tuesday.
The Chhattisgarh government said that with 40 new coronavirus cases, mostly migrants returning from other states, the number of cases rose to 256 on Tuesday. “These states are witnessing a surge in cases for the past three weeks with interstate migration being allowed," the Union health ministry said on Tuesday.